In the printing field, the impact type printer has been the predominant apparatus for providing increased throughput of printed information. The impact printers have included the dot matrix type wherein individual print wires are driven from a home position to a printing position by individual and separate drivers. The impact printers also have included the full character type wherein individual type elements are caused to be driven against a ribbon and paper or like record media adjacent and in contact with a platen.
The typical and well-known arrangement in a printing operation provides for transfer of a portion of the ink from the ribbon to result in a mark or image on the paper. Another arrangement includes the use of carbonless paper wherein the impact from a print wire or a type element causes rupture of encapsulated material for marking the paper. Also known are printing inks which contain magnetic particles wherein certain of the particles are transferred to the record media for encoding characters in manner and fashion so as to be machine readable in a subsequent operation. One of the known encoding systems is MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) utilizing the manner of operation as just mentioned.
While the impact printing method has dominated the industry, one disadvantage of this type of printing is the noise level which is attained during printing operation. Many efforts have been made to reduce the high noise levels by use of sound absorbing or cushioning materials or by isolating the printing apparatus.
More recently, the advent of thermal printing which effectively and significantly reduces the noise levels has brought about the requirements for heating of extremely precise areas of the record media by use of relatively high currents. The intense heating of the localized areas causes transfer of ink from a ribbon onto the paper or like receiving media. Alternatively, the paper may be of the thermal type which includes materials that are responsive to the generated heat.
The use of thermal printing generally involves a standard thermal transfer ribbon wherein most if not all of the ink is thermally transferred during a single printing operation. Improvements are being made in the reuseable ribbon area to provide for multiple printing operations.
Representative documentation in the area of transfer ribbon printing includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,037,879, issued to D. A. Newman et al. on June 5, 1962, which discloses re-usable, pressure-sensitive, capillary-action, ink-releasing elements including a film foundation of paper or plastic material, a binder layer of plastic material which is at least partly soluble in volatile solvent, and a resinous ink-releasing layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,428, issued to S. Sala et al. on July 1, 1975, discloses self-regenerative carbographic articles comprising a support layer, a continuous, homogeneous layer essentially consisting of sperm oil and a film forming polymer having good adhesivity, and an inked layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,130, issued to V. Barouh et al. on July 15, 1975, discloses pressure-sensitive, reusable, imaging material comprising an integral film having a dispersion of pigmented substance in a plasticizer at the bottom of the film and a synthetic polymer in the form of a resinous binder at the top of the film and having a multitude of minute capillary openings serving as a reservoir for the pigmented substance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,286, issued to M. A. Scott et al. on Mar. 23, 1982, discloses pressure-sensitive transfer ribbons of the reusable type having a plastic film foundation with a microporous resinous ink layer bonded thereto and a friction-reducing layer of silicone polymer on the impact surface of the film foundation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,968 issued to T. Maierson on July 6, 1982, discloses a pressure-sensitive record sheet having a spongy, capillary-like film adhered to a paper substrate and the film contains a phenolic resin, amorphous silica, and a fatty alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,739, issued to U. Kohle et al. on Jan. 24, 1984, discloses multiuse pressure-type reproduction or transfer material having a synthetic resin support film with a coating which contains a synthetic resin binder and a coloring agent of an oil base wherein the oil for the base is a polyoxyethylene tenside which forms a plasticizer for the binder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,243, issued to Y. Shimazaki et al. on Sept. 26, 1986, discloses a reusable heat-sensitive transfer recording element which comprises a foundation and an ink-containing layer having porous particles impregnated with a heat-meltable ink and a binder of resinous material that is incompatible with the ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,881, issued to M. Shini on Nov. 25, 1986, discloses a multiple-use pressure-sensitive recording media which comprises a foundation and a finely porous layer having minute porous particles and a binder material of vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer for bonding the particles. The porous layer contains a liquid ink paste substantially incompatible with the binder material and the paste has a pigment and an oil-soluble dye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,629, issued to M. Inaba et al. on Jan. 6, 1987, discloses a reusable pressure-sensitive correction element comprising a foundation and an adhesive layer having a resin binder material and a plasticizer capable of plasticizing a polyamide resin which is a main component of the vehicle of a correctable ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,393, issued to K. Uchiyama et al. on Apr. 28, 1987 discloses an ink composition and an ink sheet which is reusable in a heat transfer recording process. The ink composition contains a solvent dye and a low melting compound containing hydroxyl and/or ethylene oxide and inorganic or organic fine powder.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,281, issued to M. Shini on Dec. 15, 1987, discloses a multiple-use pressure sensitive transfer recording media which includes a liquid ink paste comprising a pigment, a liquid fatty acid and an oil-soluble dye.